Love is in the snow at Kent State this Valentine’s Day – two students spray-painted red hearts across campus Sunday.

Stephen Whyde, junior pre-business management major, and Chrissy Lennon, junior theatre major, celebrated the holiday Sunday by using a mixture of Kool-Aid and water to spray-paint hearts in the snow across campus.

Whyde said he and Lennon have been dating since October 2009. He said he wanted to do something fun and different for Valentine’s Day in 2010, so he came up with the idea to spray paint a heart for Lennon outside her dorm window at Korb Hall.

“There was a lot of white snow at that time and I thought it would be cute,” Whyde said. “I think the best Valentine’s Day gifts are the ones you make, not the ones that are bought.”

Lennon said she loved the heart Whyde made outside her window.

“She wanted us to put the hearts all across campus after that,” Whyde said, “so we went around spray painting until our fingers were frozen that night. We made three hearts last year.”

Lennon said each heart took about an hour to make this year. The couple made a total of six hearts Sunday.

“We considered making a special heart for Lefton with his name in the middle,” Lennon said, “but we didn’t have enough time.”

Whyde said he dedicates all of the hearts to Kent State this holiday.

“I think the hearts are really cute,” said Jack Twedt, freshman geology major. “I may be a hopeless romantic, but I like it when people do random things that make strangers feel loved.”

Lennon said she and Whyde planned a study date with Rice Krispies treats back in their apartment after they finished spray-painting hearts.

“Valentine’s Day is really easy to celebrate,” Lennon said. “People generally like the idea of promoting love.”

Lennon said she hopes students will spread love this holiday to friends, family or a significant other.

Contact Megan Wilkinson at [email protected].